New approaches to crop yield insurance in developing countries:

Natural disasters can be extremely disruptive to farmers and to others whose incomes depend on a successful crop. Society can gain from more efficient sharing of crop and natural disaster risks. However, the costs associated with traditional agricultural risk programs have historically exceeded the gains from improved risk sharing. This paper explores government intervention in agricultural risk markets and discusses new approaches to risk sharing with limited government involvement. In particular, we build the case for introducing negotiable state-contingent contracts settled on area crop yield estimates or locally appropriate weather indices. These instruments could replace traditional crop insurance at a lower cost to government while meeting the risk management needs of a wider clientele.Crop yields., Insurance, Agricultural Crops., Developing countries.,

A long-range and long-life telemetry data-acquisition system for heart rate and multiple body temperatures from free-ranging animals

The system includes an implantable transmitter, external receiver-retransmitter collar, and a microprocessor-controlled demodulator. The size of the implant is suitable for animals with body weights of a few kilograms or more; further size reduction of the implant is possible. The ECG is sensed by electrodes designed for internal telemetry and to reduce movement artifacts. The R-wave characteristics are then specifically selected to trigger a short radio frequency pulse. Temperatures are sensed at desired locations by thermistors and then, based on a heartbeat counter, transmitted intermittently via pulse interval modulation. This modulation scheme includes first and last calibration intervals for a reference by ratios with the temperature intervals to achieve good accuracy even over long periods. Pulse duration and pulse sequencing are used to discriminate between heart rate and temperature pulses as well as RF interference

Periodically rippled graphene: growth and spatially resolved electronic structure

We studied the growth of an epitaxial graphene monolayer on Ru(0001). The graphene monolayer covers uniformly the Ru substrate over lateral distances larger than several microns reproducing the structural defects of the Ru substrate. The graphene is rippled with a periodicity dictated by the difference in lattice parameter between C and Ru. The theoretical model predict inhomogeneities in the electronic structure. This is confirmed by measurements in real space by means of scanning tunnelling spectroscopy. We observe electron pockets at the higher parts of the ripples.Comment: 5 page

Análise econômica da bananeira "Pacovan Ken" em função de diferentes tensões de água do solo.

O trabalho avaliou economicamente a bananeira ?Pacovan Ken? sob diferentes tensões de água no solo, relacionando os custos de produção obtidos pela aplicação de água e as receitas alcançadas através da produtividade para cada tratamento. O experimento foi realizado em um solo tipo Cambissolo, em Limoeiro do Norte, Ceará, utilizando a cultivar Pacovan Ken irrigada por microaspersão. Os tratamentos consistiram em iniciar as irrigações quando a tensão da água na zona radicular da cultura (0-0,4 m) atingisse -15, -30, -45 e -60 kPa. Três sensores de resistência elétrica tipo matriz granular (modelo Watermark) foram instalados em cada parcela (0,15; 0,30 e 0,50 m). Nas avaliações de produção foram utilizadas quatro plantas situadas na fileira dupla central de cada parcela. Para cálculo do custo da irrigação (Ci) foi adotado apenas o custo de aplicação da água, considerando uma situação hipotética padrão para irrigação de uma área de 5,0 ha. A melhor relação custo/benefício encontrada para a cultivar de banana Pacovan Ken na região estudada foi obtida quando as irrigações eram iniciadas na tensão de água no solo de -15 kPa, apresentando uma menor sensibilidade à variação de preço do produto, além do maior índice de lucratividade

Microwave conductivity of laser ablated YBa2Cu3O(7-delta) superconducting films and its relation to microstrip transmission line performance

The discovery of high temperature superconductor oxides has raised the possibility of a new class of millimeter and microwave devices operating at temperatures considerably higher than liquid helium temperatures. Therefore, materials properties such as conductivity, current density, and sheet resistance as a function of temperature and frequency, possible anisotropies, moisture absorption, thermal expansion, and others, have to be well characterized and understood. The millimeter wave response of laser ablated YBa2Cu3O(7-delta)/LaAlO3 thin films was studied as a function of temperature and frequency. In particular, the evaluation of their microwave conductivity was emphasized, since knowledge of this parameter provides a basis for the derivation of other relevant properties of these superconducting oxides, and for using them in the fabrication of actual passive circuits. The microwave conductivity for these films was measured at frequencies from 26.5 to 40.0 GHz, in the temperature range from 20 to 300 K. The values of the conductivity are obtained from the millimeter wave power transmitted through the films, using a two fluid model

Umbuzeiro (Spondias tuberosa Arruda): planta nativa da caatinga, importante repositório natural de moscas-das-frutas.

O objetivo desse trabalho foi conhecer as espécies de moscas-das-frutas no umbuzeiro e o índice de infestação natural, no município de Petrolina, Pernambuco